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Lactic Acid Fuels Tumor Growth, Says Study

Lactic Acid Fuels Tumor Growth, Says Study

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) has found that lactic acid is an important energy source for tumor cells. In further experiments, they discovered a new way to destroy the most hard-to-kill, dangerous tumor cells by preventing them from delivering lactic acid. 
Switching To Once-Monthly Mircera Could Lead To Major Time Savings And Help Simplify Anaemia Management

Switching To Once-Monthly Mircera Could Lead To Major Time Savings And Help Simplify Anaemia Management

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

BASEL, Switzerland, November 20 /PRNewswire/ --

- Authors Conclude Such Savings may Allow Healthcare Resources to be Reallocated to Other Aspects of Patient Management

Switching dialysis patients to once-monthly Mircera(R) from older, more frequently dosed erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) could reduce time spent by nurses administering anaemia drugs in dialysis clinics by approximately 80%. This is valuable time that could be used by staff to focus on other important aspects of patient care. These and other key findings from a study investigating the practicalities of ESA use have just been published in Blood Purification(1). (http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=BackIssuesJGPro... )

Cash-Strapped Brits Rate Pets' Health Above Their Own

Cash-Strapped Brits Rate Pets' Health Above Their Own

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, November 20 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by dental payment plan provider, Denplan, has revealed that we prioritise the health of our pets above our own healthcare.

The survey shows that while only 11 per cent of UK pet owners would stop paying for their pet insurance if the credit crunch affected their wallet, more than double that number (23 per cent) would stop paying for their own private healthcare.

The survey also revealed that 19 per cent of people would stop their private dental plan payments, should they start to feel the pinch. And 58 per cent would cancel their gym membership.

Religious Women Have 20 Percent Lower Mortality Rate - Study

Religious Women Have 20 Percent Lower Mortality Rate - Study

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

A study published by researchers at Yeshiva University and its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, strongly suggests that regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death by approximately 20 percent. The findings, published in Psychology and Health, were based on data drawn from participants who spanned numerous religious denominations.
Determining Physiological Age - Biomarker Discovery May Be The Key

Determining Physiological Age - Biomarker Discovery May Be The Key

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

Determining chronological age is easy - count forward from birth. Establishing physiological age, especially in humans, is purely subjective because it's based on how someone looks or functions. Research in nematode worms could lead to the development of human biomarkers for aging, allowing us to track how we're withstanding the tests of time.

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research say they have identified for the first time these  biomarkers of aging which are highly predictive of both chronological and physiological age.  Biomarkers are biochemical features that can be used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment.
Common Cold Virus Came To Humans From Birds 200 Years Ago

Common Cold Virus Came To Humans From Birds 200 Years Ago

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

A virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article published in the December issue of the Journal of General Virology. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans.

"Human metapneumovirus may be the second most common cause of lower respiratory infection in young children. Studies have shown that by the age of five, virtually all children have been exposed to the virus and re-infections appear to be common," said Professor Dr Fouchier. "We have identified sites on some virus proteins that we can monitor to help identify future dominant strains of the virus."
Learning Emotions Again After A Brain Injury

Learning Emotions Again After A Brain Injury

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

People who have lost the ability to interpret emotion after a severe brain injury can regain this vital social skill by being re-educated to read body language, facial expressions and voice tone in others, according to a new study.

The research, published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, reveals that appropriate training can result in significant gains in "emotional perception", which is crucial for successful social communication.

The study involved 18 participants recruited from an outpatient service at the Liverpool Hospital Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, in Sydney, Australia. All had experienced a severe traumatic brain injury at least six months earlier and had significantly impaired ability to interpret emotions in others.
Wildfire Smoke Toxicity Much Worse Than Car Pollution

Wildfire Smoke Toxicity Much Worse Than Car Pollution

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

The health threat to city dwellers posed by Southern California wildfires like those of November 2008 may have been underestimated by officials, according to a new paper analyzing particulate matter (PM) from wildfires in Southern California.  Detailed particulate analysis of the smoke produced by previous California wild fires indicates that the composition posed more serious potential threats to health than is generally realized..
Lithium Ion Batteries May Not Be Done Yet

Lithium Ion Batteries May Not Be Done Yet

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

Lithium-ion batteries don't get a lot of respect these days, what with everyone talking about magical future batteries that are cheaper and won't make you Prius owners cause acid rain.  They're everywhere still and they provide portable devices that require a lot of energy, such as mobile telephones, digital cameras, and notebook computers, with power. However, their capacity, and thus the running time of the devices, remain somewhat limited - a notebook computer usually runs only about two hours.
Aliens Are Invading Europe

Aliens Are Invading Europe

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

More than 11,000 alien species have been documented by DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe), a unique three year research project with more than 100 European scientists, funded by the European Union that provides new knowledge on biological invasions in Europe. Biological invasions by alien species often result in a significant loss in the economic value, biological diversity and function of invaded ecosystems. 
Gene Discovery Will Double Production Of Rice In Times Of Drought

Gene Discovery Will Double Production Of Rice In Times Of Drought

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

University of Alberta research has yielded a way to double the output of rice crops in some of the world's poorest, most distressed areas.

Jerome Bernier, a PhD student in the U of A Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, has found a group of genes in rice that enables a yield of up to 100 per cent more in severe drought conditions. 

The discovery marks the first time this group of genes in rice has been identified, and could potentially bring relief to farmers in countries like India and Thailand, where rice crops are regularly faced with drought. Rice is the number one crop consumed by humans annually.
Improving the science in science fiction

Improving the science in science fiction

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

There is an interesting story in New Scientist about The Science&Entertainment Exchange, a program initiated by the National Academy of Sciences to improve the science in movies and TV [New project aims to unite science and Hollywood]. It would be hard to make it worse, so this strikes me as a very positive development!

The project is described thus:
Water Wellness

Water Wellness

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

Did you know that the kind of water you drink affects your wellness? Research in Japan and Korea in both hospitals and farms with using alkaline ionized water with patients or livestock supports the claim that alkaline ionized water improves health and reduces or eliminates instances of cancer and many other diseases and unhealthy conditions.
Alberta To Offer Transitional Royalty Rates To Promote New Drilling

Alberta To Offer Transitional Royalty Rates To Promote New Drilling

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

EDMONTON, Canada, November 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- All Existing Wells and Oil Sands Projects to Move to New Framework

In response to the global economic crisis and a slowdown in oil and gas drilling throughout the province, the Government of Alberta will provide companies drilling certain new wells after January 1, 2009 with a one-time option of selecting new transitional royalty rates. By helping ensure companies have access to the cash flow they need to invest in new projects, this five-year program is aimed at encouraging the development of new drilling projects and keeping thousands of Albertans at work.

GSMA Announces Winners Of 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition - APAC Tournament

GSMA Announces Winners Of 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition - APAC Tournament

Nov 20 2008 | comment(s)

MACAU, November 20 /PRNewswire/ --

The GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade group for the mobile industry, today announced the winners of the APAC leg of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition. The winners were announced at the GSMA's Mobile Asia Congress, Asia's leading mobile communications event, that's taken place in Macau, China this week.

New Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme Agreement Must Make Patients The Priority

New Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme Agreement Must Make Patients The Priority

Nov 19 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, November 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The real test of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) agreement announced by the Department of Health today will be whether it delivers improved access to new medicines and creates savings in the NHS that can be spent on patient care, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

RPSGB President, Steve Churton, says: We are pleased that an agreement on PPRS has been reached - but also urge that any change takes into account the current shortages of medicines that we are experiencing as a direct response to the current economic downturn. It is important that these shortages are not exacerbated by price changes.

SunGard's Front Arena And Adaptiv Win Banking Technology Reader's Choice Awards

SunGard's Front Arena And Adaptiv Win Banking Technology Reader's Choice Awards

Nov 19 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, November 19 /PRNewswire/ --

SunGard's Front Arena and Adaptiv have been named as winners in the second annual Banking Technology Reader's Choice Awards. Front Arena (www.sungard.com/frontarena), a cross-asset trading solution, was chosen as Best Trading Platform/Order Management Product, while Adaptiv (www.sungard.com/adaptiv), a suite of solutions for enterprise-wide risk management, was voted Best Risk Management Product.

The Banking Technology Reader's Choice Awards are based on votes by the publication's readers, who were asked to nominate their choice of vendors and products in a range of categories. This is the second year in which SunGard's solutions have been category winners.

Generic genome sequence press release (by Andy)

Generic genome sequence press release (by Andy)

Nov 19 2008 | comment(s)

This comment by Andy was too good not to repost.

Generic press release for genome sequencing

Scientists map genome of (insert name).

A team of researchers from (insert university/institute/lockup garage) has completed mapping the genome of (animal/plant/squashy deep-sea thing).

"We were amazed how (strike one) similar/dissimilar it is to the human genome," said (insert name of lead scientist/grad student/custodian who happened to answer the phone).

The discovery should help scientists (strike all but one) cure cancer/end world hunger/prevent hair loss).

New Research Helps Solve The Mystery Of Déjà Vu

New Research Helps Solve The Mystery Of Déjà Vu

Nov 19 2008 | comment(s)

To some, it's a vague remembrance of a scene from a past life. Others attribute it to viewing something in real life they dreamed the night before. To the leather-clad protagonists of the movie "The Matrix", it happened whenever the machines altered something about the virtual world they created. Regardless of the explanation, déjà vu is the common and unmistakable experience of feeling as if whatever sensory input we're receiving has been received before - even though we can't pinpoint the exact source.

Movea's MotionPod Secures First Partnership In Healthcare Sector

Movea's MotionPod Secures First Partnership In Healthcare Sector

Nov 19 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, November 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- Movea and RM Ingénierie Offer 'Motion Capture' Solution for Physiotherapists and Healthcare Professionals

Movea, experts in motion capture technology, have created the MotionPod, a revolutionary microsensor device for healthcare and sports, which is able to record, transcribe and analyze human motion.

This unique technology is the driving force behind their first partnership with RM Ingénierie, a subsidiary of Cegedim who chose Motion Pod for use in their BioVal(R) solution, which is a body movement control and measurement module for medical professionals.